DORTMUND, Germany (Reuters) – Borussia Dortmund’s players and coach were left fuming over the decision to award a 77th minute penalty that handed Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich a 3-2 victory in their top-of-the-table clash on Saturday.
Bayern forward Robert Lewandowski converted the spot kick after a lengthy VAR review of a handball by Dortmund defender Mats Hummels, who had attempted to head a corner away but looked to have touched the ball with his elbow.
“It was an extremely wild game and a great one for the fans and it is two times more bitter to lose like that,” said Dortmund captain Marco Reus.
“This was a very hard decision to award a penalty for this,” he added after the match as he watched Hummels’ handball on the replay screens.
“Mats really tries to get in there with his head and he needs his body to do that.”
Dortmund earlier had two claims for a penalty themselves with referee Felix Zwayer refusing both times to review them.
In one of them Reus went down in the box after a challenge with Lucas Hernandez in the 54th minute and the Dortmund captain said Zwayer should have at least watched it again.
“When you see the replay it looks really bad,” Reus said of his penalty claim. “It is a shame that he did not review that one.”
When Bayern were given their penalty Dortmund coach Marco Rose lost his cool on the bench, shouting in the direction of the referee and being sent to the stands for a second booking.
He had been shown a yellow card when Reus went down in the box.
Dortmund’s first home loss of the season left them in second place on 30 points, four behind leaders Bayern after 14 matches.
“It’s a shame that such a crappy penalty decides the game,” Dortmund midfielder Emre Can said. “I’m sorry I have to say that.
“I stand here and talk again about a referee’s decision. We played a great game today and then this happens.”
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; editing by Ken Ferris)
